


Show me how you justify (telling all your lies like second nature)

by Buried_in_CharCOL



Category: The Cask of Amontillado - Edgar Allan Poe
Genre: Giacomo Casanova makes a cameo, Hello person reading the tags, Hope you enjoy, It gets better I promise, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, POV First Person, Wine, fortunato/montresor if you squint, how did i look at a drunkard and his murderer and think, i am small and tired and i have no money so you can imagine the kind of stress im under, no beta we die like men, online class represent, the oc is pretty much just a plot device so dont let that scare you away, this is my first time writing ANYTHING so please be nice, this was for school so, yes those two are gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 21:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16982493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buried_in_CharCOL/pseuds/Buried_in_CharCOL
Summary: A writhing, squirming emotion both scalding hot and freezing cold began in my stomach and crawled its way up my throat.Vaguely, I registered the feeling as 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨....We used to be close.





	Show me how you justify (telling all your lies like second nature)

**Author's Note:**

> hope u guys enjoy this garbaege

When Luchresi kindly informed me that Lady Adelig had actually accepted my invitation to the party, I spat out my sip of Nero D’Avola. “What?” I hissed through clenched teeth, “You couldn’t have told me sooner?” I dabbed at the wine dribbling down my chin and turned to face him, met with the sight of my dear friend doubled over in laughter. “Montresor, you’re lucky I even said anything,” he said between bouts of cackling, “Fortunato didn’t want anyone to let you know so that we could make fun of your reaction after the party. Could you imagine your face when you would have realized that she attended, and you didn’t even talk to her?”

 

The thought of that wasted opportunity made me grimace. If I was able to win the Swiss noble’s affections, she could be the key to finally stepping over Fortunato in the social ladder. Although I had the money, the other members of high-class society would never treat me as their equal because the house of Montresor was not as old as the Luchresi family, nor as prestigious as the Fortunato dynasty. However, Lady Adelig could be the solution to this predicament; the Adelig house was of distant relation to the Swiss royal family. Not enough to be potential heirs to the throne, but enough to be a respected family name. However, since they had fallen out of favor with the king, I knew that their funds were running dry and if I could convince Lady Adelig to marry me, our union could benefit both of our houses. (Also, she was a handsome woman and her good looks would benefit our heirs rather well.) I felt rather confident in this plan because I knew if Fortunato had not already been married, he would have pursued the woman himself.

 

Luchresi snapped his fingers in front of my face, ending my wandering thoughts. “Hey, is anyone in there?” He smirked, “You better go talk to Fortunato since he’s the last one who saw where she went.” My playful sneer held no malice as I shoved him aside on my way to speak to the aforementioned man. “Good luck, you Casanova!” He shouted at my back. “What?” replied Giacomo Casanova over the sound of the partygoers. Luchresi waved him away.

 

When I found Fortunato, he already had a pensive look on his face instead of his usually cheerful expression aimed towards me with two empty chalices in hand. A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon was placed on the table he leaned on. Upon seeing my expression grow more worried at his strange demeanor, his attitude instantly warped into the mischievous smile that I had come to associate with impending annoyance or exasperation. “Hello, Montresor” he grinned, “I know you’re about to ask me where your ladylove has gone, but first won’t you share this exquisite wine with me? I brought it out of my cellar especially for you.” I opened my mouth to rebuff him, but he cut me off. “What, you can’t spend any time with your dear old friend anymore? Do you hate me that much?” His playful lilt and exaggerated pout only promised more whining if I didn’t comply. “Fine,” I groaned, “Only one cup, and then you must tell me where she went.” He grinned, “Promise.”

 

Eight goblets later, and I found myself with a _slight_ buzz.

 

 

In all honestly, I don’t know how it happened. One moment, Fortunato was pouring me a cup of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon and the next… I had gulped down the last chalice of wine, not even properly savoring the bittersweet taste. As I turned away from the slightly tilted room, filled to the brim with energetic partygoers, I turned to face my friend. His grin was relaxed lopsided rather than the usual arrogant smirk and his face shared the same rosy, heated tinge as my own. “For a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur, you sure are a lightweight, ‘Enzo,” I chuckled at him. The alcohol had loosened my lips as I never called him by his first nickname in public, and I blushed in surprise as the endearment left me. The public saw us as professional peers, and few knew that Fortunato and I had been close friends since boyhood. His father had made sure of that since it was seen as unbecoming of the Fortunato name if his son, Lorenzo Fortunato, was associated with someone of a lower status. As I said before, the Montresor name was honorable but nowhere near as respected as the ‘great’ house of Fortunato.

 

The corners of his mouth curled upward, and he gave me an amused look. “If I’m a lightweight than you are one as well, if not more so than me,” he snickered, “Do you realize that I had more than you?” Usually, his playful jabs would roll off me like water droplets off a duck, but the drinking had left me more sensitive and vulnerable than usual and at his quip, I leaned away in offense. Fortunato let out a laugh at my expense, but then stopped abruptly as something, or someone, caught his eye in the partygoers behind me. In confusion at the sudden change in mood, I turned around to see what caught his attention.

 

Mingling with the other partygoers was Lady Adelig, laughing at a joke some other woman had said. Her glossy blond hair was swept up in a stylish updo that was fashioned in place by multiple bejeweled clips, several strings of conservative yet opulent pearls adorned her neck, and her scarlet gown was striking in contrast against her pale skin. Her obvious mirth somehow magnified her beauty, and I stared in appreciation at what would be my hopefully future wife. Since Fortunato was already aware of my plans to capture her affections, I faced him to gauge his reaction expecting amusement or perhaps envy towards my opportunity.

 

Indeed, his expression was a mix of scorn and perhaps resentment, but to my confusion his look was aimed towards Adelig instead of me. “Hey,” I said, “What’s got your feathers all ruffled?” He jolted out of his irritated state as if just remembering that I stood beside him, and his features went through a series of expressions too fast for me to gauge their meaning before he settled on easy mirth. “Nothing,” He exclaimed a little too quickly, “Why don’t you stay here and drink with me? We can talk about the going ons of the other people, and you can woo that woman some other time-“ I cut him off. “Sorry, but I must speak with the fine Lady Adelig,” I said,” What kind of host would I be if I didn’t show her around?” Fortunato opened and closed his mouth as if wanting to say something, but his face hardened, and he simply nodded in affirmation. I smiled at him and departed towards the noblewoman, slightly stumbling as I left the support of the counter I had been leaning on.

 

As I approached, I began to notice details in her appearance that betrayed the state of her lifestyle. The vibrance of her scarlet gown was clearly dulled from its original iridescence. Time and wear had not been kind to the cloth, and one could imagine that in its former glory the dress would have been as lively as dancing flame when its wearer moved – an attire worthy for someone of royal blood. Now, it was outdated and dull just like the Adelig family name. Her jewelry only added to my growing pity when I noticed that they were dented and lackluster as if damaged from overuse. Her flowing, blonde hair and clear blue eyes accentuated the dark circles under her lashes which suggested many sleepless nights. There were holes in her gold hairpieces where gemstones had previously been but had clearly fallen off. To say the least, she was in a sorry state.

 

Lady Adelig noticed my gawking and excused herself from the others to greet me. For a moment, I averted my eyes in embarrassment at being caught staring at her. I hope her didn’t see me as some creep. “Hello Sir Montresor,” she said, extending her dainty hand, “The party seems to be going wonderfully, and I wanted to tell you that you have a beautiful estate.” I took her gloved hand and gave it a polite kiss in greeting. “It’s wonderful to see you, again Lady Adelig,” I smiled, “I hope you’ve been doing well since our last meeting at your cousin’s home.” She stared at my actions and withdrew from my grasp. “I am doing fine, Sir,” she murmured. The wine must have given me some misplaced confidence. I blurted, “Please Amina, you can all me Matteo.” As soon as the words left my lips, I knew that I been extremely presumptuous in our familiarity. She looked me dead in the eye and her features contorted with annoyance, “Sir, we’ve met only once before, so I doubt we are on friendly enough terms for you to be calling me, a woman high above your station, by her first name. We are hardly acquaintances.” Her icy tone left me reeling. The group of women she had been taking to previously were giggling because of her reprimand, and I blushed in embarrassment. “Of course, Lady Adelig,” I mumbled, “I am terribly sorry.” She seemed satisfied from my apology and her expression went back to its previous cordiality. I was glad – hostility did not suit her delicate features well.

 

In an attempt to salvage our interaction, I thought it would be good to impress her with the grounds of the house. “Would it be alright if I showed you around the estate?” I asked. A long pause followed my question, and I quickly regretted my forwardness as her expression changed from friendliness into cold formality. “I don’t know about Italians, but where I’m from it is very inappropriate for an unmarried man to accompany an unmarried lady anywhere away from the crowd and if I didn’t know any better, I would think that you are trying to chat me up like some commoner,” she spat, “And approaching me while drunk, like I wouldn’t notice?” Her glare was mocking, as if to challenge me to affirm her suspicions. I stuttered in embarrassment and tried to explain myself, “No, my Lady, I simply- ““Enough,” Adelig cut me off, “I suggest you walk away before you humiliate yourself more than you already have.”

 

In my shame, I shuffled back to Fortunato who was still leaning on counter were at before. Judging by his smile I assumed that he had witnessed my failure. “If you have something to say then just tell me,” I gruffed. He chuckled and shook his head, “I’d give you another offer to stay with me, but judging from your expression, I’m going to guess that you’re not giving up on her.” “No,” I replied, “I can still save this.” His easy look changed to a contemplative expression and he seemed to weigh his options. After a while in companionable silence, he seemed to make up his mind. “If you really want to woo her, tell her this: du bist eine gewöhnliche schlampe und dreck unter meinem schuh,” he said. My brows furrowed, “What does that mean?” He chuckled and said, “It means ‘you are beautiful and beyond compare’ in German.” “That’s a lot of words for that meaning,” I squinted at him in suspicion. Fortunato fixed me with an easy grin, “Would I lie to you, Matteo?” His use of my first name caused me to cave. “Alright, I trust you.”

 

After an hour of mulling it over, I became excited to flatter her in her native language. I was sure that this would win her over! When I saw Adelig again, I wordlessly left Fortunato’s side to approach her. I flashed him a thumbs-up over my shoulder and he fixed me with an indecipherable expression. Whatever. I was about to sweep the woman off her feet. Composing myself, I stopped in front of where she stood away from the crowd. Adelig turned to me with a questioning look and I smiled at her. “Du bist eine gewöhnliche schlampe und dreck unter meinem schuh,” I said with confidence. Suddenly, her face contorted in outrage as her hand reeled back.

 

If I were not so surprised, I would have been able to dodge her palm which collided with my face. Adelig flashed me a bitter look and stormed away as held my cheek and looked on in shock.

 

As I searched the crowd for her, I figured out pretty quickly that Fortunato had given me an offensive phrase to tell her. I wasn’t sure if he thought it was a joke or if he had malicious intent, but either way it hurt immensely because I put my full faith in him to support me. We had been friends for a long time, and I wouldn’t let some practical joke come between our lifelong friendship. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to salvage my courtship with Lady Adelig, but at least I wanted to apologize to her and explain the mix-up. The only thing I valued more than our friendship was my family, and it wasn’t as if I had caught him disparaging my family name or anything. We could recover from this with a simple talk.

 

…

 

We could not recover from this with a simple talk because I found Fortunato thoroughly disparaging my family name to Adelig.

 

They were talking on one of my larger balconies when I found them. Fortunato and Adelig were in deep discussion in the cool night air and at first, I felt relief because I thought maybe he was explaining to her that it had all been a big misunderstanding. but then I heard what he was saying.  

 

I won’t repeat his cutting remarks on paper because his degradations were too vindictive and too numerous for me to relive without breaking down completely. Frozen just out of their line of sight, I willed myself to storm in to defend my family’s honor but… I just couldn’t. My heart thundered in my ears and my hands began to shake. Every comment, every injury towards my house felt like he was staring me dead in the eye while driving a dull bread knife through my chest. My head began to throb, and I reached up to clutch my face.

 

(I absently noticed Adelig nodding in agreement, but I couldn’t have cared less about her in that moment.)

 

At some point in his long, hateful tirade, I stopped listening to what he was saying to look at the face of a man I once called ‘friend’. To the casual observer, his expression might have been just focus on the person he was talking to, but with my new awareness on just how much he despised me, I could see that behind his eyes was a simmering loathing. Before, I mistook that liveliness as mere mischief and playfulness but now I could see clearly. I was a blind man before, but now I could see that he hated ~~me~~ my family. Our friendship – the bond we shared for years was fake.

Why go through all that trouble though?

Why fake all the friendship and safety and warmth and lo-

 I suppose it’s because the inevitable betrayal would hurt more. I suppose it would somehow pay off for him in the end.

Fine.

That was fine.

A writhing, squirming emotion both scalding hot and freezing cold began in my stomach and crawled its way up my throat.

Vaguely, I registered the feeling as _loathing._

 

….

 

Was it lucky or unlucky that their balcony was in a remote wing of the mansion? On one hand, nobody was there to notice my breakdown. On the other hand, the silence only helped exacerbate my internal crisis. As I stared out into space, my back slid down the wall until I sat on the cold, marble floor. My reflection stared back at me – it was a man I didn’t recognize. Behind his empty expression, there was a simmering fire, like glowing kindling about to ignite a fire. I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not, but I knew that ~~Fortunato~~ that man’s betrayal had broken _something_ inside me. Something important. There was a large, gaping feeling that I had never experienced before, and I needed to fill it before it consumed me entirely.

 

I snapped to attention as the balcony’s doors swung open with a _BANG_ and my tired eyes look on as Adelig stormed past me. At first, I assumed that she had simply not noticed my presence but that was proven wrong when she shot me a hateful look over her shoulder, her scarlet grown trailing behind her.

 

Well, there was the end of that plan.

 

As I watched her receding figure, I noticed a dark silhouette out of the corner of my eye. Fortunato was frozen in the doorway; his features were illuminated by the moonlight. We quietly observed each other, and his eyes traveled to my face to gauge my expression. His eyes seemed to hold regret and sadness when he noticed how weary I was. However, that could have just been yet another lie crafted by this man. After all, if he could just fake years and years of friendship then it must have been easy to fabricate emotions as well. Just looking at him made me feel sick, but I somehow mustered a smile.

 

It must have been convincing because he returned it a little softer and a litter sadder, but still with a smile. I used to love being the cause of those dimples. The dimly lit room carried the chill of the night, and the only noise that could be heard was the distant sounds of the party and both of our shallow breathing. Our locked eyes challenged each other to speak first. I won. “How much did you hear?” His question broke the silence that draped over us.

 

My smile dropped. “Nothing,” I lied, “I only caught her running away. She gave me the most awful look though; as if I had spat on her grandmother.” Fortunato laughed despite the circumstances. “I wonder why,” He mused, “She’s probably just extremely old-school on flirtation. Just forget about her.” The man drew closer and patted me on the back. “I assume you’re going to give up on your pursuit?” His look told me that he already knew my answer. “Yes, I will follow your advice and stop,” I muttered. “Good.” He seemed to be at a loss for words. A long, awkward silence stretched on.

 

Before, the silences we had were only companionable and comfortable – a quiet oasis from the rest of the world.

Perhaps, even he realized that something in the air had changed between us.

 

“W-Well,” He stuttered, “If you need anyone to talk to… I’ll be there for you.” He patted me on the back again, and my lack of a response visibly made him nervous. “She wouldn’t have been a good match for you anyways, but if you need a shoulder to cry on then I’ll be there with a bottle of wine for you.” His eyes held a fake sympathy that made me clench my teeth until the pressure caused the pounding in my head to worsen. “It’s fine,” I said around my forced grin, “You should go ahead and meet with Lady Fortunato; she’s probably wondering where you are.” He nodded, glad to have an escape from the tense air. Before he scurried off, he stiffly nodded towards me and then existed the room to find his wife.

 

I didn’t know how long I sat in the dark alone. I stayed in that quiet, empty room until the faraway sounds of the party died down. They had probably been shooed out by the irritable staff.

 

When everyone had surely gone, I finally stood up and left the room where it happened. Fortunato and I would probably never talk about what he and Adelig discussed on that balcony, and frankly I didn’t really care. The emptiness settled in my stomach as I wandered around the desolate house like a ghost. Questions swirled in my head like debris caught in a tornado. Why would he do something like this? Was our whole friendship fake? What was I going to do now? These thoughts were a heavy weight on my shoulders and I wandered from room to room until I came to a stop at the mansion’s foyer.

 

There, hanging high up on the wall, was the Montresor family crest. A snake and human foot; the snake was being stepped on and yet it found the will and strength to injure its attacker in turn. The house motto was inscribed beneath it: “Nemo me impune lacessit” meaning “No one provokes me without impunity.” My quick descent into self-pity and loathing came to a halt as I read it. This was like a message from my ancestors - I needed to enact revenge against Fortunato! It was my familial obligation to tear down that wretched betrayer from the inside out. My breath quickened as the deep, empty part of my soul that Fortunato had ripped out and stomped on was replaced with something other than the love and warmth that had been there before. Fury, loathing, and vengeance sunk their claws into my heart as I greeted them like old friends. They would be my companions from now until I had wreaked havoc upon Fortunato’s life.

 

Thinking upon it more, I realized that simply ruining his life wouldn’t be enough to satiate me. No, the man needed to die. I felt the hard, straight line of my lips give way into a smile as realized my new goal in life. My new purpose felt right and warm - it comforted me like a cozy blanked draped over me on a chilly evening. He needed to die, and I would kill him in a personal, intimate way that let him know in his final moments that I had been the cause of his demise. Also, it needed to be foolproof so I could get away from the crime without retribution. Stabbing him would be too messy, and there was a greater chance of it being traced back to me. Poison was too cliché and detached. I wanted him to die slowly and for the hope to ebb from his eyes until his soul was dead before his body. I wanted him to suffer both physically and mentally. I wanted the means of his death to be original and intimate like the fake friendship we shared.

 

I knew more about him than any other person including his wife. I would exploit his weaknesses and shortcomings to efficiently get the job done. The only question now was: how would I carry this out?

 

I bumped into a table as I paced around the foyer. This startled me out of my plotting, and I reached out quickly to catch the bottle that wobbled and almost shattered on the floor. Plans of murder or not, I didn’t want to waste any expensive wine. A party guest must have forgotten it here because I didn’t remember seeing this bottle before. Turning it in my hand, I read the label to identify it.

It was a bottle of Amontillado.

...

 

I grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed(?) it <3

**Author's Note:**

> P.S.  
> I am extremely sorry for the emo song title.  
> I'm so sorry.


End file.
